Oh shit, he responded. I almost forgot about him.
Quickly, I click on the message.
AverageJoeGuy: We can’t discuss this over message. We have to meet in person. But you’re going to want to hear what I have to say. Meet me at 218 Way Street, Tony’s Pizzeria. Friday. 2 p.m. Don’t be late.
I look at a map. The location is an hour away. Drivable. I’d have to rent a car or get a car service. But it’s crazy to meet a stranger like that.
But I am crazy. And if AverageJoeGuy knows something that could help Mack, then I want to know what AverageJoeGuy knows.
I message back.
JulesLikesToSwim: I’ll be there with bells on.
Chapter 19
“Wow. You look . . .”
I’m standing in front of Mack in his apartment in nothing but a clamshell bra and a skintight sequined green maxi skirt. I have on a red wig, courtesy of Kate. Actually, all of it is courtesy of Kate.
Mack stands before me, staring. Like he can’t believe his eyes.
I cup the bottom of the lavender clamshell, pushing up my cleavage, which has also been doused in glitter. “Tell me about it, Kate stuffed these things to the hilt. I look halfway pornographic.”
Mack nods, then swallows hard. “That wasn’t the word I was going to use, but wow.”
I smile a little playfully. “What word were you going to use?”
He looks down at his feet, a little sheepish. “I was going to say you look breathtaking.”
Heat creeps up into my cheeks. “Oh. Well, you look . . .”
“Like a fish dressed up like a man?”
I laugh because his outfit is a touch confusing at first but nonetheless clever. He’s wearing an open white shirt with blue pants and a black belt. “No, I was going to say you look high concept. Everyone loves a high-concept costume. Especially drag queens, right? You’re . . . Prince Eric if he became a fish for Ariel.”
He smiles. “That’s what I was going for. Do you really think people will buy it?”
I look at him. Take him all in. The honest answer is I don’t really know, but I do know one thing. “It’s all about framing. People see what they want to see. I learned that from my modeling days. Kate says you can pretend to be a world-renowned makeup artist.”
Mack scratches his head. “Maybe this is a bad idea. What if someone starts asking me questions?”
But instinctually, I reach out and grab his hand, squeezing hard. I don’t let him pull away. “Then you’ll lie. Everyone lies. About all kinds of things. You’re being scared over nothing. And besides. You won’t be alone. We’ll be together. We’ll be together in this lie.”
Chapter 20
Mack and I order a car to the bar that’s putting on the Little Mermaid–themed drag party. I think the cloak of darkness adds a little bit of a layer of safety to the whole thing. We’re not in the light of day, and with me dressed up like Ariel next to him, I don’t think anyone’s going to ask too many questions.
Again, framing. It’s all about the framing.
But naturally, I’m a little nervous too. Okay, a lot nervous.
When we step out of the car, my heart is beating hard in my chest. I look over at Mack. He turns to me as well. The sidewalks are crowded with people. It’s a fun night out for the regular crowd.
No one’s even giving us a second glance.
But then someone shouts “Hey! Cool costumes!” as we walk by.
“See?” I say, waving back at the person as if I go out every night of the week. “Nothing to worry about.”
But I let out a big breath as well. And then I put a smile on my face. The prongs of agoraphobia prick and poke at my sides, but tonight, I have on a mask. The mask of a normal girl with her normal boyfriend at a drag show. And for now, that’s all the cover I need.
The inside of the bar is spectacular. It’s decorated to the nines in Little Mermaid paraphernalia. Seaweed is strung along the windows and the bar and the ceiling. There are clamshells as centerpieces, and everyone, and I mean everyone, is in a costume.
“Man, some of these people look more like a fish than you,” I lean in and whisper in Mack’s ear.
The greenish hue of his opalescent skin flushes a little pink.
And then a sprinkle of goose bumps runs down my shoulder when he leans in and whispers in my ear as well. “But none of them look as good as you . . .”
I shiver a bit. These feelings are new to me. And I like them.
“Jules! Oh my god! Over here!” Kate waves, her hand up in the air, sitting in a large corner booth surrounded by four men in costumes. Or at least, what look like men.
As promised, Kate is dressed as Ursula, the sea witch, with light blue makeup all along her décolletage, arms, neck, and face. She’s wearing a long black skintight sweetheart dress, a beauty mark right above her lip. Her makeup and wig, though, look professionally done. I almost wonder if she had a drag queen do it for her. It’s so good.
The men with her, on the other hand . . . I don’t even know what to think.
I tug at Mack’s sleeve. “C’mon. Let’s go.”
